Alamo Colleges District

Bexar CountyDowntown San AntonioEst. 1945

Serving the Bexar County community through its programs and services that help students succeed in acquiring the knowledge and skills needed in today's world. Today, five colleges fulfill this promise with a vast array of courses and 2-year degrees.

Complaint Procedures

Complimenting an Employee

Just as we recognize that conflicts between citizens and agency employees can arise, we also realize that there are times when employees go above and beyond the call of duty. Law Enforcement employees, like everyone else, appreciate it when their good deeds are noticed. Too often they are remembered for the traffic tickets they issue or arrests they have to make, and not for the thousands of helping hands they extend.

If an Officer of Employee of the Alamo Colleges Police Department provides services that you feel they should be commended for, please write the Chief a letter or note to that effect, giving your feelings on what the Officer or Employee has done that deserves commendation. The Chief will see that it gets to the employee and that a copy is placed in the employee's personnel file. This boosts their morale and encourages them and all other Officers and Employees of the Department to be more positive about themselves and the service they provide. We are proud of the good relationships we share with the community.

Complaint Citation Appeals

How citizens can file complaints on Alamo Colleges Police Department Officers or Employees and how those complaints are handled.

The Importance Of Your Complaint

The Alamo Colleges Police Department recognizes that its employees are responsible for their conduct where the public is concerned. The Department also acknowledges that, at certain times, conflicts between citizens and agency employees can arise. It is essential to the safety of our community that the relationship between the police and citizens be built on confidence and trust. Law enforcement cannot be effective without this vital conviction by both entities.

Police Officers must be free to exercise their best judgment and initiate proper action in a reasonable, lawful, impartial manner, without fear or reprisal. At the same time, they must observe the rights of all people. The complaint process and appropriate diciplinary procedures not only subject agency members to corrective action when they conduct themselves improperly, the guidelines also protect them from unwarranted criticism when they discharge their duties properly.

A disagreement over the validity of a traffic violation is not a complaint. Such disagreements should be directed to the court or individual that has jurisdiction in the matter.

The Police Department realizes that confusion, different perceptions, or the timelines of information sometimes will result in descriptions that produce different versions of the same incident. Beyond legitimate error, however, the deliberate making of a report that the complainant knows to be false or misleading could constitute a violation of State Law.

Complaint Procedures

The complain process is designed to deal with each case factually and fairly. Citizens who file complaints are treated respectfully, and their accusations are taken seriously. All complaints are investigated thoroughly, and all findings are based on impartial evidence gained during the investigation.

However, many complaints can be explained satisfactorily by a visit or telephone call to the employee's supervisor. The supervisor will talk with you about your complaint and try to resolve it.

The Chief of Police is usually available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. to discuss your complaint about any member of the Department.

There are two types of complaints. The first and most serious are complaints alleging a violation of a law or such other serious allegations as excessive force (being hit, slapped, kicked or struck by an object) causing pain or visible signs of bodily injury. The second types of complaints includes allegations of a less serious nature and may concern violations of Department policy.

The Government Code of the State of Texas requires that in order for a complaint, against a law enforcement officer in the State of Texas, to be considered by a Chief of the head of a Police Department, the complaint must be placed in writing and signed by the person making the complain. AQ copy of the signed complaint must be presented to the affected officer or employee within a reasonable amount of time after the complaint is filled and before any disciplinary action may be taken against the affected employee (Sec. 614.022-023).